Apps on your Android phone require access to various apps and data to give you the most accurate insights. However, some apps may abuse this privilege to collect your personal information by asking for permissions they don’t need. Fortunately, all Android phones let you control what data apps can access.
This post will share the steps required to enable, disable, and manage app permissions on Android. The screenshots in this post are from a Samsung phone running Android 12. The steps involved are almost the same for all Android phones.
How to enable or disable permissions for individual apps
When you use any app for the first time, it will ask you to grant the relevant permissions to access things like location, camera, contacts, etc. However, if you have previously approved get all those prompts without thinking, you can always modify those permissions later.
So, if you’re looking for a way to enable or disable permissions for a specific app, here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone and go to Apps.
Step 2: Scroll down to find and tap the app for which you want to modify permissions. Alternatively, you can also use the search tool in the top right corner to find apps quickly.
Step 3: On the app info page, tap Permissions. You will find a list of permissions in the Allowed and Unauthorized sections.
Step 4: Go through each permission and allow or disallow them as you see fit.
The options you’ll get when modifying permissions vary by administration. You will find two standard options in most categories – Allow or Disallow.
For permissions like Camera, Microphone, and Location, you’ll see options like ‘Allow only when using apps’ and ‘Always ask’.
You’ll need to repeat these steps for every app whose permissions you want to modify.
How to enable or disable permissions for multiple apps at once
If you’re looking to manage specific permissions for multiple apps at once, your Android phone also allows you to enable or disable app permissions based on categories. For example, if you’re looking to manage location permissions for all your apps at once, this method will save time. You will have to go to the Permissions Manager on your phone. Here’s how you can go about it.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone and scroll down to tap Privacy.
Step 2: Click on Permissions Manager.
Step 3: You will find different app permissions like Camera, Contacts, Microphone etc. Tap the permission you want to configure. For demonstration purposes, we will be modifying Contacts access.
Step 4: You will find a list of apps categorized based on their access permissions. Go through each app to quickly allow or disallow the use of Contacts.
Similarly, you can repeat the steps above to manage the camera, microphone, and other permissions for multiple apps at once.
Bonus: How to automatically revoke permissions for unused apps
As we just learned, managing app permissions on Android is relatively easy. In addition, your Android phone also allows you to revoke app permissions for apps that you haven’t used in a while. This can be useful if you don’t use an app very often and want to prevent it from accessing sensitive information. Here’s how you can enable it.
Note: This option is only available for phones running Android 11 or later.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone and scroll down to tap Apps.
Step 2: Tap on the app that you want to revoke permission after being inactive for a long time. On the app info page, turn on the switch next to “Remove permissions if the app isn’t in use”.
After you activate it, the Android operating system on your phone automatically revokes the relevant app permissions if you don’t use it for several months. Although, there is no specific time to estimate or establish that. Thankfully, Android sends a notification whenever that happens.
Unfortunately, there is no way to apply this setting to all apps at once. So you will have to repeat these steps for each application separately. We recommend enabling this option for apps that you don’t use often or that you’ve downloaded from unknown sources.
Handle with care
Google has certainly made it easier to manage app permissions with each Android update. The option to automatically revoke app permissions after inactivity is a good case scenario. While you may not need to verify these permissions often, it’s nice to see how easy the process is.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
